[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Pages 4702-4703]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




     STATEMENT FROM THE PRESIDENT PURSUANT TO WAR POWERS RESOLUTION

  Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the attached 
statement from the President of the United States be entered into the 
Record today pursuant to the War Powers Resolution and P.L. 107-243 and 
P.L. 102-1, as amended.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                                              The White House,

                                       Washington, March 20, 2004.
      Hon. Ted Stevens,
      President pro tempore of the Senate,
      Washington, DC.
        Dear Mr. President: In the interests of improving the 
     efficiency of the reporting process and to increase the 
     utility of reports to the Congress, consistent with the War 
     Powers Resolution, I have decided to consolidate supplemental 
     reports I provide to the Congress regarding the deployment of 
     U.S. combat-equipped armed forces in a number of locations 
     around the world. This consolidated report is part of my 
     efforts to keep the Congress informed about such deployments 
     and covers operations in support of the global war on 
     terrorism (including in Afghanistan), Kosovo, Bosnia and 
     Herzegovina, and Haiti. Operations in Iraq are a critical 
     part of the war on terror, and it is my intention to continue 
     to provide, consistent with the War Powers Resolution, 
     information regarding the deployment of U.S. forces in Iraq 
     in the reports to the Congress under Public Law 107-243 and 
     Public Law 102-1, as amended.


                       THE GLOBAL WAR ON TERRORISM

        Since September 24, 2001, I have reported, consistent with 
     Public Law 107-40 and the War Powers Resolution, on the 
     combat operations in Afghanistan against al-Qaida terrorists 
     and their Taliban supporters, which began on October 7, 2001, 
     and the deployment of various combat-equipped and combat-
     support forces to a number of locations in the Central, 
     Pacific, and Southern Command areas of operation in support 
     of those operations and of other operations in our global war 
     on terrorism.
        United States efforts in the campaign in Afghanistan 
     continue to meet with success, but as I have stated in my 
     previous reports, the U.S. war on terror will be lengthy. 
     United States Armed Forces, with the assistance of numerous 
     coalition partners, continue to conduct the U.S. campaign to 
     eliminate the primary source of support to the terrorists who 
     viciously attacked our Nation on September 11, 2001. These 
     operations have been successful in seriously degrading al-
     Qaida's training capability and virtually eliminating the 
     Taliban's ability to brutalize the Afghan people and to 
     harbor and support terrorists. Pockets of Al-Qaida and 
     Taliban forces, however, remain a threat to U.S. and 
     Coalition forces and to the Afghan government and Afghan 
     people. United States, Coalition, and Afghan forces are 
     actively pursuing and engaging remnant Taliban and al-Qaida 
     fighters.
       The United States continues to detain several hundred al-
     Qaida and Taliban fighters who are believed to pose a 
     continuing threat to the United States and its interests. The 
     combat-equipped and combat-support forces deployed to Naval 
     Base, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in the U.S. Southern Command area 
     of operations since January 2002, continue to conduct secure 
     detention operations for the approximately 610 enemy 
     combatants at Guantanamo Bay.
       In furtherance of the U.S. worldwide efforts against 
     terrorists who pose a continuing and imminent threat to the 
     United States, our friends and allies, and our forces abroad, 
     the United States continues to work with friends and allies 
     in areas around the globe. For example, combat-equipped and 
     combat-support forces deployed to Georgia to assist in 
     training and equipping the Georgian government's forces will 
     be completing their task in May 2004. United States combat-
     equipped and combat-support forces are also located in 
     Djibouti. The U.S. forces headquarters element in Djibouti 
     provides command and control support as necessary for 
     military operations against al-Qaida and other international 
     terrorists in the Horn of Africa region, including Yemen. 
     These forces also assist in enhancing counterterrorism 
     capabilities in Kenya, Ethiopia, Yemen, Eritrea, and 
     Djibouti. The United States is engaged in a continuous 
     process of assessing options for working with other nations 
     to assist them in this respect.
       Additionally, the United States continues to conduct 
     maritime interception operations on the high seas in the U.S. 
     Central, European, and Pacific Command areas of 
     responsibility. These maritime operations have recently 
     expanded into the U.S. Southern and Northern Command areas of 
     responsibility to stop the movement, arming, or financing of 
     international terrorists.
       It is not possible to know at this time either the duration 
     of combat operations or the scope and duration of the 
     deployment of U.S. Armed Forces necessary to counter the 
     terrorist threat to the United States. I will direct 
     additional measures as necessary in the exercise of the U.S. 
     right to self-defense and to protect U.S. citizens and 
     interests. Such measures may include short-notice deployments 
     of special operations and other forces for sensitive 
     operations in various locations throughout the world.


                      nato-led kosovo force (KFOR)

       As noted in previous reports regarding U.S. contributions 
     in support of peacekeeping efforts in Kosovo, most recently 
     on November 14, 2003, the U.N. Security Council authorized 
     member states to establish KFOR in U.N. Security Council 
     Resolution 1244 of June 10, 1999. The mission of KFOR is to 
     provide an international security presence in order to deter 
     renewed hostilities; verify, and, if necessary, enforce the 
     terms of the Military Technical Agreement between NATO and 
     the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (which is now Serbia and 
     Montenegro); enforce the terms of the Undertaking on 
     Demilitarization and Transformation of the former Kosovo 
     Liberation Army; provide day-to-day operational direction to 
     the Kosovo Protection Corps; and maintain a safe and secure 
     environment to facilitate the work of the U.N. Interim 
     Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK).
       Currently, there are 18 NATO nations contributing to KFOR 
     in addition to the 18 non-NATO nations that provide forces. 
     The U.S. contribution to KFOR in Kosovo is about 1,900 U.S. 
     military personnel, or approximately 17,500 personnel. 
     Additionally, U.S. military personnel occasionally operate 
     from Macedonia, Albania, and Greece in support of KFOR 
     operations. Eighteen non-NATO contributing countries also 
     participate with NATO forces in providing military personnel 
     and other support personnel to KFOR.
       The U.S. forces have been assigned to a sector principally 
     centered around Gnjilane in the eastern region of Kosovo. For 
     U.S. KFOR forces, as for KFOR generally, maintaining a safe 
     and secure environment remains the primary military task. The 
     KFOR operates under NATO command and control and rules of 
     engagement. The KFOR coordinates with and supports UNMIK at 
     most levels, provides a security presence in towns, villages, 
     and the countryside, and organizes checkpoints and patrols in 
     key areas to provide security, protect minorities, resolve 
     disputes, and help instill in the community a feeling of 
     confidence. By the end of 2003, UNMIK had transferred all 
     non-reserved competencies under the Constitutional

[[Page 4703]]

     Framework document to the Kosovar Provisional Institutions of 
     Self-Government (PISG). The PISG includes the President, 
     Prime Minister, and Kosovo Assembly, and has been in place 
     since March 2002.
       NATO continues formally to review KFOR's mission at 6-month 
     intervals. These reviews provide a basis for assessing 
     current force levels, future requirements, force structure, 
     force reductions, and the eventual withdrawal for KFOR. NATO 
     has adopted the Joint Operations Area plan to regionalize and 
     rationalize its force structure in the Balkans. The KFOR has 
     transferred full responsibility for public safety and 
     policing to the UNMIK international and local police forces 
     throughout Kosovo except in the area of Mitrovica, where the 
     responsibility is shared due to security concerns. The UNMIK 
     international police and local police forces have also begun 
     to assume responsibility for guarding patrimonial sites and 
     established border-crossing checkpoints.


     nato-led stabilization force in bosnia and herzegovina (sfor)

       As noted in previous reports regarding U.S. contributions 
     in support of peacekeeping efforts in the former Yugoslavia, 
     most recently on January 22, 2004, the U.N. Security Council 
     authorized member states to continue SFOR for a period of 12 
     months in U.N. Security Council Resolution 1491 of July 11, 
     2003. The mission of SFOR is to provide a focused military 
     presence in order to deter hostilities, stabilize and 
     consolidate the peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina, contribute 
     to a secure environment, and perform key supporting tasks 
     including support to the international civil presence in 
     Bosnia and Herzegovina.
       The U.S. force contribution to SFOR in Bosnia and 
     Herzegovina is about 1,100 personnel. United States personnel 
     comprise approximately 9 percent of the approximately 12,000 
     personnel assigned to SFOR. NATO has agreed to reduce the 
     size of the force to 7,000 personnel by June 2004. United 
     States participation is expected to be reduced 
     proportionately. Currently, 16 NATO nations and 11 others 
     provide military personnel or other support to SFOR. Most 
     U.S. forces in Bosnia and Herzegovina are assigned to 
     Multinational Brigade, North, headquartered near the city of 
     Tuzla. The U.S. forces continue to support SFOR efforts to 
     apprehend persons indicted for war crimes and to conduct 
     counterterrorism operations.


                  multinational interim force in haiti

       As I reported on February 25 and March 2, 2004, the United 
     States deployed combat-equipped and combat-support personnel 
     to Haiti in order to secure key facilities, facilitate the 
     continued repatriation of Haitian migrants, help create 
     conditions in the capital for the anticipated arrival of the 
     Multinational Interim Force authorized by U.N. Security 
     Council Resolution 1529, and for other purposes consistent 
     with Resolution 1529. Additional U.S. forces have since been 
     deployed to Haiti, bringing the total of U.S. combat-equipped 
     and combat-support forces in Haiti to approximately 1,800. It 
     is possible that additional U.S. forces will be deployed to 
     Haiti in the future; however, it is anticipated that U.S. 
     forces will redeploy when the Multinational Interim Force has 
     transitioned to a follow-on United Nations Stabilization 
     Force.
       I have directed the participation of U.S. Armed Forces in 
     all of these operations pursuant to my constitutional 
     authority to conduct U.S. foreign relations and as Commander 
     in Chief and Chief Executive. Officials of my Administration 
     and I communicate regularly with the leadership and other 
     members of Congress with regard to these deployments, and we 
     will continue to do so.
           Sincerely,
     George W. Bush.

                          ____________________